Iran’s Khoy and Türkiye’s Konya Sign Sister City Agreement
Urmia, The Gulf Observer: Khoy in Iran’s West Azerbaijan Province has signed a sister city agreement with Konya, Türkiye, aimed at enhancing cultural and tourism cooperation and exchanging expertise in urban management, Sajjad Chehre-Ara, Chairman of the Islamic City Council of Khoy, announced.
Chehre-Ara highlighted the historical and cultural ties between the two cities, rooted in the shared heritage of Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248) and the renowned poet and mystic Rumi (1207–1273). He said the agreement will foster spiritual tourism, facilitate joint cultural events, and expand strategic urban collaboration.
Shams Tabrizi, born in northwest Iran, was the spiritual instructor of Jaleleddin Mohammad Balkhi, widely known as Mowlana or Rumi.
The chairman also emphasized the establishment of joint expert working groups in urban management, transportation, cultural heritage, and tourism, as well as the organization of regular meetings between senior officials of both cities. A four-year joint cooperation program will be drafted as part of the initiative.
The agreement was signed by Bahman Reza-Nezhad, Deputy Mayor of Khoy, and Mustafa Uzbaş, Deputy Mayor of Konya Metropolitan Municipality, in the presence of representatives from the Asian Mayors Forum (AMF) in Konya.
